Join us to hear selected poets recite their work!
Each year, hundreds of poems are received from students in Grades 1-12 in public, private, and home schools within and around the Adirondack Park. Poems selected for their special merit are published in the annual booklet, Words from the Woods.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Sunday, March 1, 2026
This program was initiated in 1998 by the Lake Placid Institute for the Arts & Humanities. It originated from the recognition that poetry is not only a fundamental literary art but also an accessible form of writing for students of all ages. Arts Center Lake Placid is thrilled to assist LPI with the administration of this program.
2025 SELECTED POEMS
Check back in Spring 2026 for this year’s selected work!
FIRST GRADE
Chickadee by Silas Thompson (Long Lake Central School)
Fish by Camden Harris (Long Lake Central School)
Puppy by Landon Helmes (Long Lake Central School)
Ainsley by Ainsley Beaulieu (St. Agnes School)
A Poem of Love by Georgia “Gigi” Ruttan (Lake Placid Central School)
SECOND GRADE
The Trees by Robert Goodwin (St. Therese’s Academy)
Glacier by Peter Schaszberger (Bolton Central School)
Neil Armstrong by Myles Wood (Bolton Central School)
Birds by Katie Farrell (St. Agnes School)
THIRD GRADE
The Jungle by Giuseppe Lapka (St. Therese’s Academy)
Winter by Marlon Ruby (Keene Central School)
Purple! by Delilah Umland (Peru Central School)
I am as by Devon Walmsley-Silva (Keene Central School)
FOURTH GRADE
The Pool by Madelyn Boushie (L.P. Quinn Elementary School)
Skate Park by Jason Brown (L.P. Quinn Elementary School)
The River by Olivia Newstead (Tupper Lake Central School)
The Depth by Grady Kraengel (St. Therese’s Academy)
The Under Green by Indiana Prime (Keene Central School)
FIFTH GRADE
I am free by Lila Carbino (Keene Central School)
Tomorrow Is A New Day by Maple Judd (Keene Central School)
Where I Live by Evalyn Burns (Keene Central School)
Hiking by Alden Barr (McKenney Middle School)
A Gray Day by Sebastian Vlach (St. Bernard’s School)
SIXTH GRADE
G by Hazel Stytzer-Mecus
Ocean Sight by Liam Estes (Keene Central School)
A Flash in the Treetops by Anika Gronski (Keene Central School)
Winter by Damian Petersen (St. Therese’s Academy)
Amber Eyes by Ryleigh M. Bassarab (Homeschool)
SEVENTH GRADE
The Tear by John Lapka (St. Therese’s Academy)
The Little Leaf by Bryan Shafer (Galway Central School)
The Branch Of A Tree by Elise Weckel (Keene Central School)
A Poem for the Forest by Rhea Mackey (Keene Central School)
Fear by Jude Murray (St. Therese’s Academy)
EIGHTH GRADE
Snow Day by Coral Palyswiat (Saranac Lake Central School)
Sword by Max Burns (St. Therese’s Academy)
Gratitude by Sean Kraengel (St. Therese’s Academy)
Gratitude by Leo Petersen (St. Therese’s Academy)
NINTH GRADE
That Deep Hole You Left by Phoebe Karkoski (Moriah Central School)
We All Have Something About Us We Wish We Could Change by Mia Marshall (Moriah Central School)
The Youngest by Kyleigh Batterson (Moriah Central School)
Unnoticed Beauty by Zoe Lackey (Keene Central School)
TENTH GRADE
Our Modern Sunset by Carter Mack (Ticonderoga Central School)
Caterpillar by Caiden Combs (Long Lake Central School)
Control by Sadie Burgess (Boquet Valley Central School)
ELEVENTH GRADE
Of their smiles, their smiles of plated gold, Deceit so natural by Cloud Jordan (Moriah Central School)
Time by Irelynd Waufle (Moriah Central School)
The Gap by Paisley Multop (Moriah Central School)
Strangers by Gabriella Vassar (Beekmantown Central School)
TWELFTH GRADE
Masks or Morality by Michael Bowens (Gloversville Enlarged School District)
A Familiar Unknown by Tristan Ziarnowski (South Glens Falls Central School)
Ode to Music by Owen Hays (Lake Placid Central School)
Fear and Rights by Melina Goddeau (Beekmantown Central School)